Former Allegan County commissioner and one-time state House candidate Terry Burns said he wasn’t aware of the obligations of a guardian when he took more than $27,000 from his vulnerable friend.

Burns pleaded guilty in Allegan County Circuit Court on Monday to one charge of attempted embezzlement from a vulnerable adult $20,000 to $50,000. The felony charge carries a prison term of up to five years.

He will be sentenced by Judge Kevin Cronin on Aug. 25.

The more serious charge of embezzling from a vulnerable adult $20,000 to $50,000 will be dismissed at sentencing. That felony charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and/or $15,000 in fines

“I’d never done this before. Honest to God, I didn’t know what a guardian did,” Burns told Cronin.

Burns became the guardian of Joseph Migas in August 2012. He had Migas sign two agreements with him to borrow money. One contract was for $16,500 and the other for $10,750.

“That’s totally wrong,” Burns said about the loans because Migas is considered an incapacitated adult.

Burns said he had been borrowing money from Migas, a lifelong friend, for more than 50 years.

Burns was removed in November as guardian of Migas, 84, of Ganges Township, who has dementia. Migas once owned the Mi Ro Golf Course, hotel and restaurant on Wiley Road in Saugatuck Township. The sale of that property earlier last year to the City of Douglas brought in about $167,500 to the trust.

In three months, Burns spent $80,000 of that $167,000 trust set up for Migas. Burns said most of that money was spent on Migas’ own expenses. The remaining $26,750 was paid back, court records show.

Burns wrote several checks to state Rep. Pat Sommerville’s Chief of Staff Matt Muxlow, totaling $10,750, a sum Burns said he paid back. Burns said Muxlow is a friend to whom he loaned money. Muxlow was to help Burns with his campaign for the 80th District state representative race, said Bradley Johnson, Burns’ attorney.

“That was wrong, that was against the law,” Johnson said.

“Yes,” Burns agreed.

The $16,500 also went to Burns’ campaign. Burns said Monday he paid that back after he collected enough in donations.

Migas’ long-term girlfriend Janet Fahey raised questions about the spending. Macatawa Bank investigated the concerns, saying the withdrawals from the trust account were “enormous” with 13 checks written to cash totaling $18,550 and another $950 counter withdrawals deposited in Burns’ credit union.

Burns, a substance abuse counselor in the Holland area, was an Allegan County commissioner from 2007-2012 representing the Saugatuck, Douglas and Laketown areas.